| The Morning After Your Personal Best | |
You did it. You achieved that goal you trained for so long, so hard. Whether it was a 10K, a marathon, a relay, a multi-day event, it's over and you have the medal or the t-shirt and the memories.
It is natural to feel let down and a bit at sea. You spent time and energy preparing for the big event. It was a physical challenge, and now you are tired as well as triumphant. But you can't help but feel a bit like Buzz Aldrin when he returned to earth from Apollo 11. What now?
1. Let them know. Don't shirk on letting people know your achievement. Wear your medal or your t-shirt at least for the first day back into the "real world." Let people ask. I think this is especially important for those of us who don't match the "typical" athletic profile - perhaps you are a mature person or have more than a few spare pounds. Set an example for all those thin 20-somethings as well as people in your own category - they can be athletes too - you are! You deserve the awe and admiration you will inspire. And you might save somebody's life by making them jealous enough to set their own fitness goals.
2. Keep on moving. Blisters only take a week to heal. Don't lose the great fitness level you have achieved by resting on your, er, laurels. Keep walking at your base level - remember that an hour of walking a day is recommended to reduce your risk of major disease and give you a longer, healthier life.
3. Set a new goal. Now you know what you can do. You can plan when you are going to do it again, or take on a more challenging goal. For example, I walked my first 30K walk in the summer of 1999. That done, I knew I could walk a marathon and so I registered for the Portland Marathon and achieved it. Your next goal could be of a different type. If you walked an event for distance, such as a marathon, your next goal may be to walk a shorter event fast, such as my 10K legs on the Portland to Coast Relay. This is especially true when your experience at distance tells you that it isn't quite your cup of tea! Explore some new directions - even in new sports, such as a triathlon.
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Photo © Wendy Bumgardner
